7 Reviews & 7 Giveaways

Hey there,

Shanna Clark over at Learning At His Feet (http://learningathisfeet.blogspot.com/) is having a blast giving away gifts during this Christmas season. We are donating a gift for one of the giveaways.

Would you like to win? Or at least find out more? Just click on the button below:




Wow, that worked! Pretty cool. I will have to figure out that button creation thing because that is very nifty.

Merry Christmas one and all!
Terri

9 Steps to a Meaningful Christmas for You and Your Family

Get Rid of the Gimmees!

9 Steps to a Meaningful Christmas for You and Your Family

Christmas can be a magical time for children. Yet this holiday can also bring out whininess, disappointment and an ungrateful "gimme, gimme" attitude in our normally sweet children. How can we, as caring parents, counter-act this contagious and disheartening attitude? Let's use the word CHRISTMAS as an acrostic to remember some key thoughts and actions that can help our children (and ourselves) gain a proper perspective and appreciation for this most holy of holidays.

C - The letter "C" stands for two words - candles and carols. Light your home with the glow of candlelight. The presence of candlelight evokes a holy essence in your home - fitting for the holy occasion that we celebrate. Fragrant candles are even better! And remember to sing the carols of Christmas - together as a family and to yourself as you go about your daily tasks. Play them also on your stereo. The words of the traditional carols will imprint themselves upon your heart and mind and upon the hearts of your children as well.

H - The letter "H" stands for homemade. Christmas does not have to empty your bank account. In fact, the most meaningful Christmas gifts are usually the ones that are the least expensive. Children naturally love to give the creations that they make. Help them to find gifts that they can participate in the making of - simple yet thoughtful gifts that show their love and care for the receiver. (This year, my children are making fleece scarves and pocket warmers for their cousins and other relatives.)

R - "R" stands for reading the Christmas story. Do not forget to spend time in the Word of God, reading the account of our Savior's birth. He is the reason we celebrate this time of giving. We follow in the footsteps of the wise men who gave their precious gifts to an infant King, the Savior of the world. And do not just read it aloud together once, but several times throughout the upcoming weeks. (Helpful hint - this relates to letters "M" and "A" below.)

I - "I" stands for invite. Open up your home and invite your friends and neighbors in for tea and cookies. Why keep all those yummy cookies to ourselves when we can share them with friends? Don't worry about having your home look like a picture out of a magazine. We don't need to be perfect. Our homes do not need to be perfect. But we do need to share the love of Christ with our friends and neighbors.

S - "S" is for scoot out the unused toys. Like it or not, your children will be receiving more stuff for Christmas. Prior to Christmas is a perfect time for sorting through unused and unwanted items and giving them away to charity. During this cold and dark season, your unwanted blankets, coats and shoes can be a very real blessing to those who have less than we do.

T - The letter "T" stands for toss. Toss out the toy catalogs! This one is serious. One of the major causes of the "gimme" attitude springs from the onslaught of toy catalogs that enter our homes every autumn. If you would like to keep a few to order from, then by all means do. But do not put them into the hands of your children just to browse, or even to give you ideas. Scanning through toy upon gadget upon toy will begin to spoil the giving heart that you have instilled in your child only to be replaced by envious thoughts.

M - This one relates to the letter "R" above. "M" stands for memorize. Take a few moments every morning to memorize scripture. Luke 2:1-20 or Isaiah 9:6-7 are both good choices for this time of year. If you are reading this prior to Thanksgiving, Psalm 100 is an excellent psalm to memorize and it is only 5 verses long. Very doable!

A - Celebrate Advent. If you have never celebrated advent, perhaps this is the year to begin. Basically, advent is a purposeful celebration during the four weeks that count down to Christmas, reminding us each day of the first coming of our Lord and His imminent second coming. Here is a handy downloadable book that you can have in time for the first Sunday of Advent, which, by the way, is November 30th. http://www.joyfulmomma.org/Advent.html.

S - "S" is for Santa. I'm not knocking the fun that can had with the idea of Santa, but don't be afraid to tell your kids the truth. There is a good book that explains where the story of "Santa" came from and it is called Santa, Are You For Real? We let our older children help in the Santa fun. The younger kids set out the plate of cookies and write Santa a nice note. The older children get to stay up later and eat the cookies and write a return note from "Santa". Another fun activity is to play Secret Santa during the month of December. Each member of the family draws the name of another member of the family. The name of the person you draw is the one to whom you become the "secret santa". This gives family members the opportunity to do kind things for each other. These things can include giving small gifts, writing notes of encouragement, or doing acts of service. But be sure not to get caught! Reveal yourself to your special someone on Christmas Eve.

Enjoy Christmas this year and if you feel yourself getting weighed down by whininess or ungrateful attitudes within your family, remember the acrostic CHRISTMAS and do one thing different to make a change within your home. May God bless you and keep you and give you peace.

Merry Christmas!

Terri Johnson

Here are the winners!

Yes, we held our 2nd drawing and these are the names that were drawn:

Jill C.
Barb D.
Denese

If one of these names looks like it might be you, please check your email box because we sent each of these three individuals an email notifying them of their prize - a copy of our book entitled What Really Happened During the Middle Ages.

Stay posted to this blog. In fact, sign up for RSS feeds, because we will continue to post drawings and YOU might be a winner next time.

Terri

Just who WAS Good King Wenceslas?

We've decided that these giveaways are alot of fun, soooo... we've decided to give away the story of Good King Wenceslas to everyone who is interested. Tell your friends! This is an amazing story that your whole family is sure to love! You can download your free copy from this web page:

www.knowledgequestmaps.com/wenceslas.htm

This biography is one of eight that is featured in our book - What Really Happened During the Middle Ages. Would you like to win a copy of your very own? Enter our drawing and you may be one of three winners randomly selected to receive a copy of the softcover book (not the ebook) delivered via US mail to your mail box.

Here's how to enter:

1. Click over to our website - www.knowledgequestmaps.com/wrhmiddle.htm
2. Read through the sales page and take a look at the fantastic illustrations by Darla Dixon
3. Come back here and post a comment about what looks interesting to you about the book
4. Be sure to leave us contact information (either an email or blog address will do)

That's it. We'll hold our drawing on Friday, November 21st and notify the winners by email. We'll also post their names for you here. So be sure to check back if you don't hear from us!

You may have noticed that we are also having a sale on this book and the 3 book series. Don't worry... if you DO buy the book NOW so as to not miss out on the sale and then win the drawing, we will refund the amount that you paid for your book including shipping.

Great! Leave us those comments and we'll look forward to holding our random drawing on Friday. Don't forget... there will be 3 winners!

Whew! It's been a whirlwind around here!

Three of our children have just finished 7 performances of Anne of Green Gables over the course of the past two weekends. It has felt like life outside of CYT (www.cytvanport.org) has been temporarily on hold. But it has been a fantastic experience for our kids. I watched them grow in ways that I wouldn't have believed possible even a month ago.

We get a little bit of a breather, but they have each decided that they will, in fact, audition for the production of Narnia, coming up in just 3 weeks.

Here we go again!

We held our drawing

Yay! We have our three winners from our drawing for the book entitled What Really Happened in Colonial Times. They were so excited!

Donna in NC wrote, "Wow! Awesome! Thank you! This has made a wonderful surprise for me today... I just LOVE good children’s literature!"

Cindy L in Ohio wrote, "Thank you SOOO much! My kids will be so excited!"

Amber in BC, Canada wrote, "Wow Terri, I am so excited! Thank you again for the excellent gift!!!"

Wow, this is so fun to do. Stay posted to this blog because we'll give away another book next month. I am so excited. Well, ladies, enjoy your books! They will be sent to you next week. And I thank the rest of you for entering our drawing and hope that you will enter next month and win the prize.

God bless,
Terri

Colonial Book Giveaway!

This week, we decided to have a sale on our What Really Happened in Colonial Times book of historical biographies. In thinking about the holidays and Thanksgiving coming up next month, our minds turn to the events of our founding forefathers. So, we want to get this book into your hands at a price that you can afford.

http://www.knowledgequestmaps.com/wrhcolonial.htm

Then we got to thinking... that it would be fun to give away a few copies as well - yes, the printed books (not ebooks). So, if you would like to enter our random drawing, just click over to the webpage above, take a look around and then come back here and leave a comment. In your comment, mention something that interests you about the book or the webpage and be sure to include your email or blog address so that we can contact you if your name is drawn.

We'll post the winners on Friday - there will be 3 of them! So check back here if you haven't heard from us.

If you do purchase the book this week because of the great sale price AND then find out that you are a winner in our drawing, we'll just refund the amount that you paid (including shipping) and send the book to you through the mail. That way, you don't miss out on the sale while you wait.

http://www.knowledgequestmaps.com/wrhcolonial.com

And giving away stuff is alot of fun. We think we'll make a regular habit of it. So you might want to include this blog in your RSS feeds so that you can stay posted.

Have an excellent week!

Terri

Let's Homeschool with Confidence!

Hey there,

I am so thrilled to have finished my free 5 Day Mini-course on "Homeschooling with Confidence". The topics addressed over the 5 days are:

1. 4 Steps to Successful Homeschooling
2. What Your Child Needs to Know & When
3. Homeschooling on a Dime
4. Getting the Help & Encouragement You Need
5. Success Requires a Plan and a Purpose

You can sign up for this class at www.HomeschoolingABCs.com. There is no charge - it's my gift to you. Enjoy!

Terri

Host an Authentic First Thanksgiving

In a recent issue of Seasons at Home, we discussed the benefits of holding historical feasts in your home as part of your family’s delightful and hands-on educational experience. You can read “Feasting on History” in the Summer 2008 issue of Seasons at Home magazine.

What Really Happened in Colonial Times?
Get the facts! Find out with these great sale prices - up to 50% off - www.knowledgequestmaps.com/wrhcolonial.htm.

With the arrival of autumn and the cooling temperatures outside, our thoughts turn to holiday celebrations – the gathering of family and friends around our hearth and home. The brilliant color display of the deciduous trees reminds us that this is the time to express our thankfulness to the Lord for His goodness and the abundant harvest of this past year.

In the year 1621, just 10 months after arriving at Plimouth, our pilgrim forefathers held a feast to celebrate their successful harvest and the Lord’s goodness bestowed upon them. With only 53 surviving members of their colony – about half of the number that left England the year before – these resilient men and women invited over 90 Wampanoag Indians to join them and threw an outdoor feast lasting 3 full days.

This feast may not have actually been called “Thanksgiving” because to these devoutly religious people, a day of thanksgiving was a day of prayer and fasting, and would have been held at any time during the year when they felt an extra day of thanks was called for. It was also a feast that was not repeated annually, so it can't even be called the beginning of a tradition. At least, not yet…

It wasn’t until 1863, shortly after the battles of Vicksburg and Gettysburg, that our tradition began when Abraham Lincoln declared a national holiday – a day of remembrance and Thanksgiving – to be observed on the last Thursday of November. It has been an annual American tradition ever since. Even so, we will always reflect upon and observe the 1621 feast as the very first Thanksgiving and it has become the model that we pattern our own Thanksgiving celebrations after.

So what was served at that very first Thanksgiving? Was it turkey and pumpkin pie? Well, yes and no… Turkey was undoubtedly served, but it wasn’t the centerpiece at the table nor was it stuffed. It was accompanied by venison, duck, geese and fish. Pumpkin may have been served, but certainly not in the form of a pie. Most likely, it would have been stewed and not sweetened like we serve it today.

Here is a recipe that may have found its way onto that first Thanksgiving table. It is called Furmenty and it is a pudding usually served at Harvest time in England. Furmenty is made from whole hulled wheat. Unusual, but delicious!

Furmenty

• 1 cup whole hulled wheat/wheat berries (available at many stores that sell bulk foods)
• 1 quart milk
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp. ground mace or a pinch of nutmeg
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• additional sugar for sprinkling

1. Fill a large pot with 8 cups of water, bring a boil and add the wheat. Lower heat to simmer, cover, and continue to cook for 3/4 hour, or until, soft. Drain off all the water and add the milk, sugar, salt, cinnamon and mace/nutmeg.

2. Continue to simmer, stirring frequently, until most of the liquid is absorbed (20 to 30 minutes).

3. In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks and cream together and slowly stir 1/2 cup of the hot wheat mixture into the yolk mixture. Then stir the yolk mixture into the pot, and continue cooking for another 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
4. Serve sprinkled with sugar.

To re-create the other foods that were most likely present at that first Thanksgiving, I would recommend that you order the Thanksgiving Primer, a book that has been published by the Plimoth Plantation, a living museum recreating 17th century Plymouth. The museum’s goal is to create a better understanding of the life and times of both the English colonists who settled there as well as their Native American neighbors, the Wampanoag. (Another source of authentic Thanksgiving recipes is the book titled Giving Thanks: Thanksgiving Recipes and History from Pilgrims to Pumpkin Pie also available from Plimoth Plantation. Amazon price is $22.50.)

Order the Thanksgiving Primer by writing to:

Plimoth Plantation
Attn: Mail Order Department
P.O. Box 1620
Plymouth, MA. 02362-1620
Include a check for $10.90.

Or you may order these titles from Vision Forum or Amazon.com.

Within the pages of the book, you will also learn how the colonists might have dressed in 1621. We conjure up images of dowdy figures dressed head to toe in black with just a peek of white around the collar and cuffs. This was not the case at all. There was a much wider range of colors worn than our modern image portrays – colors such as red, yellow, purple, blue, brown and grey.

Clothing was fashioned primarily from wool and linen, with some leather pieces. Most of the garments worn by a typical English commoner from this time period would be recognizable today, consisting of a long shirt, breeches, knee-length stockings, coat and cape. Women wore shifts and petticoats as undergarments and gowns, waistcoats, capes and aprons over the top. Most women wore a linen cap called a coif covering their hair while the men wore varying styles of hats and caps, worn inside and out.

Although the 3 day feast of 1621 was more of a secular event and not a true day of Thanksgiving as they defined it, the faith of our pilgrim forefather’s permeated their every day lives. They undoubtably would have said a prayer before sitting down to their meal. Although the exact words are unknown, a typical “prayer before meate” would have gone something like this:

O Lord our God and heavenly Father, which of Thy unspeakable mercy towards us, hast provided meate and drinke for the nourishment of our weake bodies. Grant us peace to use them reverently, as from Thy hands, with thankful hearts: let Thy blessing rest upon these Thy good creatures, to our comfort and sustentation: and grant we humbly beseech Thee, good Lord, that as we doe hunger and thirst for this food of our bodies, so our soules may earnestly long after the food of eternal life, through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, Amen

George Webb - Short direction for the daily exercise of the Christian London 1625.

The pilgrims would have sat on benches at cloth-covered tables. They ate with knives, possibly spoons, but without forks. They would have used large linen napkins, about 3 feet square, for wiping their hands, which were used to both serve and eat the meal. The individual dishes they used were called trenchers, which are small square or round wooden plates. The food would have been brought to the table on serving dishes or platters and the trenchers used as a place to cut food just before being consumed, much like the “reach and eat” style of eating that is still common in the Near East today.

Enjoying an authentic first Thanksgiving will be a very worthwhile and memorable event for your entire family and invited guests. I challenge you to take a stab at it and take many pictures throughout the process. What a highlight for this fall season! Take the guesswork out by ordering a copy of the Thanksgiving Primer. This book outlines everything you need to know about throwing your own 1621 Thanksgiving feast.

Bon Appétit!

What Really Happened in Colonial Times?
Get the facts! Find out with these great sale prices - up to 50% off - www.knowledgequestmaps.com/wrhcolonial.htm.

Warmly,
Terri Johnson
Knowledge Quest, Inc.
www.KnowledgeQuestMaps.com

Is this your first year homeschooling?
Make it the best year possible with
www.HomeschoolingABCs.com

Update on the opinion poll...

Wow, there has been a dramatic shift in the survey results. Here are the latest numbers:

Homeschooling on a Dime - 15
What You Child Needs to Know When - 27

Would you like to express your opinion? I am trying to decide which topic I should write about for a 5 day ecourse for beginning homeschool parents. The course would be free.

My initial thought was that I would write a 5 day class on the topic of What Your Child Needs to Know and When. However, with the economy the way it is and an uncertain financial future on the horizon, I started to wonder if a better topic might be Homeschooling on a Dime. That is why I initially turned to you, my readers, for help.

I am leaning back towards my original topic and will probably get started on it this weekend. Thank you so much for your opinions! And they are still welcome, by the way. Please do share your thoughts. Your feedback is so valuable to me!

Terri

Survey says...

Well, you guys are really helpful! The two choices are neck in neck - basically a tie so far! So I am still wanting to hear your opinion, in case you haven't left it yet. Here are the survey results so far:

Homeschooling on a Dime - 13
What You Child Needs to Know When - 14

Thank you so much for posting your thoughts. Keep 'em coming - they are priceless!

Terri

Affiliate commission has been upped to 75%

Do you want to post feedback on our survey question? Scroll down to the next post. Thanks!

Hey, we are so excited about our Homeschooling ABCs class and want to get the word out about it. So, we are offering a 75% affiliate commission to anyone that wants to refer it to their friends or acquaintances. If you are interested, here's how you can get started:

You are free to use any wording that you find on the website (www.HomeschoolingABCs.com) or if you would rather, you can send out an article written by me entitled "5 Essential Ingredients to Homeschooling Success". If you indicate interest by sending me an email, I'll send it right over. Then you will simply replace your affiliate link at the end of the article so that you can get credit for the sales that you generate from it.

To get your special affiliate link, follow the directions on this page - http://www.clickbank.com/info/jmap.htm?vendor=knowledgeq. If you have a clickbank account, just enter your "nickname" and click "create". The page will generate your special affiliate link. If you do not have a clickbank account yet, simply follow the directions there to sign up for one (it's free!) and then use the nickname that you were given to complete the affiliate link on the page above.

This is easier than it sounds and I think that you will be pleased by the response that you will receive when you let your subscribers know about this opportunity. Here are a just a few of the comments that we have received already:

I just have to say, thank you so much for offering this opportunity. I haven't even gotten started (just subscribed), but as I was reading about the offer it brought me to tears. I want to homeschool and do a good job from the beginning and it's been a very scary and unsupported road so far. I feel a new surge of hope. You are an answer to prayer.

Thank you again! I'm looking forward to getting started!

Tonya

Wow! What a great idea! I am so excited to get started. I feel encouraged already. Thank you so much for taking the time to put this class together for newbies like me. You are a blessing.

Belinda

I just had to send you a quick note to thank you for this wonderful service you are providing. I'm a "veteran" homeschooler (we're starting our 7th year), but last year was really discouraging for me, so your ABCs came just at the right time. I really needed a remedial course in homeschooling--your weekly assignments have been so helpful for me. It's the class I needed to take 7 years ago!

~Rosemary

Let me know if you have any questions whatsoever. Have a good evening!

Guarding our school day

Survey below - I want your opinion!

I just finished writing Lesson J for our Homeschooling ABCs class (www.homeschoolingabcs.com). I am really enjoying teaching this class for beginning homeschool parents. The lesson that I just wrote and uploaded to the membership site is about guarding our school time. The title is "Just Say No - Staying Focused and On-track".

How many times do we pick up the telephone and realize that shouldn't have because we KNOW we are going to lose 45 minutes of school time. And how many times have you decided to check email for just a few moments and realize that a half an hour has slipped by and the children have wandered off and are no where to be seen.

Guarding our school time is an important and hard-learned lesson for most of us. How many times have you had your sister-in-law drop her little kids off at your house during school time because she figures you're home and can easily fold another busy toddler and demanding baby into your day's routine and activities. How hard and yet how important it is that we communicate our schedule and when we are and are not available for others.

This lesson provides a framework for when to say "no" to an activity and when to respond with a wholehearted "Yes!". When we are careful about the things we say yes to, we don't get the life sucked out of us and have burn-out set in. Setting boundaries is so, so crucial to our homeschooling success!

Survey: I would love your opinion! I am writing a 5 day mini-course that will be free to all who want to take it. This is separate from our Homeschooling ABCs class which is a paid membership class. Anyway, which topic do you think would be more useful for beginning and seasoned homeschoolers alike:

Homeschooling on a Dime (free and cheap ways to teach your kids at home)

OR

What Your Child Needs to Know and When (now you can rest easy!)

I would love to know your opinion! Thanks for sharing.

Terri

Getting started with Facebook

Okay, I took the plunge and decided to set up a Facebook account. Some of my friends have been persuading me to do it for a few months. I'm not sure why I hesitated except for maybe the fact that I already have a hard time finding enough time to post to my blog. I thought, Oh dear, if I have one more thing I have to keep updating, I could be in trouble.

Anyway, I found out that it's not hard at all and you can add to it whenever you want. You don't have to have everything perfect the way you want it on Day 1. In fact, I still have some information that I need to fill in and I might add some pictures a little bit later. What I have been excited about is finding some old friends and keeping up with family members who live far away. It's pretty nifty. If you aren't on Facebook yet, might I suggest that you give it a try. I think that you will be glad that you did.

Here's the link - www.facebook.com

Terri

The next "Around the World" unit study

These are so much fun to put together. I hope that you enjoy using them. This unit study is on the country of China. After becoming more intrigued with China as a result of the 2008 Summer Olympic games, it was fun to dive in and learn even more about this complex and ancient country. The best way to take full advantage of this unit study is to read the article first in the fall issue of The Old Schoolhouse magazine (link below). Here is the China unit study:

www.knowledgequestmaps.com/chinaunit.htm

Enjoy!

Warmly,

Terri Johnson

My favorite homeschool magazine - check out their fall special

If you're like most of us, you're usually on the lookout for ways to help your home and homeschool run smoothly. You want suggestions, encouragement, and practical how-to information. You need a storehouse of helpful articles for those days when you yearn for a fresh idea, a little boost, or facts to share with potential critics – all from a solid Christian perspective. That's where The Old Schoolhouse Magazine comes in.

The Old Schoolhouse Magazine has just launched their fabulous Fall Special for new U.S. subscribers and you'll want to respond early. It's a 50% savings off of cover price and they even have a homeschooling tote bag for the first 1000 to respond!

Right now, during their Fall Special you can subscribe for only $39! You’ll receive 2 years of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine (8 large quarterly issues), the current issue (so you get a quick jump start!), and 6 fabulous Bonus Gifts (for the first 3000). PLUS, the first 1,000 new subscribers will also receive their Homeschooling with Heart tote bag!

View the full details and subscribe online at www.TheHomeschoolMagazine.com/US_Promotion.php.

And, in case you didn't know, I write a column for The Old Schoolhouse magazine entitled "The International Schoolhouse". In this article, I highlight a specific country of the world, tell some fun facts about its history and geography and a little bit about homeschooling in that country. Fascinating, if I do say so myself. And, each quarter to go along with it, I give our newsletter subscribers a unit study to go along with it. Very fun and educational. You can sign up for our newsletter here - www.knowledgequestmaps.com.

Scheduling the Easy Way - A 5 Step Plan

It's that time of year. Everyone is gearing up for school. All of the stores are having "back to school" sales on everything from school supplies, clothing and even furniture. Parents are anxious, students are feeling dread, and everyone's pocketbooks are getting thinner. BUT this need not be the case!

We can keep our spending under control and we can be prepared and confident for a new school year. We can even pass that enthusiasm onto our kids so that the sense of dread is replaced by a sense of anticipation and excitement. So let's get started.

But first, take a moment to read an archived article on the subject of How Not to Overspend on Curricula if you still have some purchasing to do and then click right back here to get your scheduling plans in place.

Step 1: Plan Your Subjects

Consider the ages and grades of your school children and decide which subjects they need to study this year. Obviously, you want to cover the basics primarily when your kids are still young - reading, writing and arithmetic. As they get older, you will eventually drop formal reading lessons and even handwriting assignments and begin to focus more on what they are reading and how they express themselves. Most students are ready for grammar and spelling by 3rd grade, if not earlier. Arithmetic will one day be replaced by algebra and higher math and science and history will become of greater significance to their studies as they progress through the years. At some point during your children's education, you may want to add in other subjects such as foreign language, logic, fine arts, debate, and geography. Did I miss anything?

But I hope that it is obvious that you do not want to try to cover all of these subjects with all of your students every year. It is just too overwhelming. Pick 5 or 6 subjects that your students are most in need of and let the rest go. These are the subjects that my children study at these grade levels:

Grades K-2 - Reading, Handwriting, Math, and History (w/narration)
Grades 3-6 - Math, Grammar, Spelling, History and Science
Grades 7-8 - Math, Grammar, Spelling, History, Science and Logic
Grades 9-12 - Well, lets just say that it gets to be quite a bit more! We'll cover higher math, literature, grammar, history, science, health, fine arts, debate, government, foreign language and various electives. But not all in one year!

By the way, we do our writing assignments across the curriculum so we do not separate it out as a separate subject. I hope that makes sense.

Step 2: Purchase Your Materials

Hopefully, you have already purchased the majority of the curricula, books and other materials that you plan on using this upcoming year, especially if you intend to start school sometime this month. If you have not, then you might want to hurry up and do so and perhaps even request expedited shipping. I am not your stellar example as I just placed all of my orders last week, but I also do not intend to start school until mid-September, so I should have plenty of time still to review the materials that will begin to arrive over the next 2-3 weeks and get my scheduling done before we start school.

If you have not decided on what curriculum you want to use, or have it narrowed down to 2 or 3 choices, then this is the time to ramp up your online and offline research and make some decisions.

Your online research includes checking out the websites of the curriculum providers that you are considering (do a Google search), reading reviews that have been posted online and asking questions on homeschool chat boards. Your offline research will include asking your friends' opinions, visiting your local homeschool bookstore and browsing through your favorite catalogs.
Some curriculum companies offer a "trial run", meaning if you don't like it after 30 or 60 days then you can return it for a full refund. You may want to consider this if you are still unsure which program to use for your children.

Step 3: Set Aside Some Time

Ideally, I would suggest that you find a weekend between now and when you start school to get away with your husband and get your final preparations in order. This is not exactly a cheap option, but priceless when it comes to the time that you will have to strategize with your spouse and get your goals and schedule out on paper. The place you would choose would need to fall somewhere between boring and exciting. Let me explain... if you just pick a motel down the road to "get away", most likely the view will not inspire you nor the surroundings intrigue you when you need to take a break and get out for a walk.

On the other hand, if you choose to head for the lake with your ski boat in tow, you might not get anything accomplished because who wants to think and strategize when you can be out waterskiing! My husband and I often head for a quaint inn on the Oregon coast which has breathtaking views, fantastic restaurants and not a whole lot to do but sit on the beach or take a walk through the foaming surf. It's an ideal place for us to talk, to dream, to set goals and to get our thoughts out on paper.

If you absolutely cannot get away for a weekend or even an overnighter, then consider scheduling an afternoon or two at the library. This will give you the time you need to focus without the constant interruptions of family life (as charming as those interruptions can be!).

Step 4: Open the Books

Bring all of the core books that you will be using this year with you on your scheduling day or weekend, as well as any teacher's manuals that came with your chosen programs. Bring, also, any books that you will be using for the first month or so of school. The tools that you have chosen for your children's education will help you to determine your daily and weekly schedules. Here's how...

Let's use a grammar book for our example. Let's say that there are 120 lessons in the grammar book. Take 120 and divide that by 36 weeks in the school year. Your answer is 3.33 and that means that your student will have to cover 3 and 1/3 lessons per week to finish the book in one school year. What this means to me is that I will need to schedule grammar for this child at least 3x per week. Perhaps a goal that you have for this child is that they catch up from last year. Then you might want to schedule 4 lessons per week. Or maybe you honestly don't care if you finish every last lesson in the book, then 3 days should suffice. You get the idea.

How about math? Let's say that the book only has 90 lessons. Well, 2 1/2 lessons per week may not be enough mathematical stimulation for this particular child. You may decide that you do not mind if your student gets ahead in this subject, so you bump it up to 4 lessons per week. These are decisions you will want to make for each student and each subject as you look through each of the core books and teacher's manuals that you will be using with your children this year.

Here are some suggestions for how many lessons to cover each week, but by no means are these hard and fast rules, so make your own decisions and feel confident about them based on your own goals that you have set for your children and the books that you have chosen to use this year.

Math - 4-5 days per week
Reading/Phonics - 5 days per week
Handwriting/Copywork - 4-5 days per week
Grammar - 3-4 days per week
Spelling - 2-3 days per week
Writing - 2-3 days per week
History - 3-5 days per week
Science - 2-3 days per week
Foreign Language - 2-4 days per week
Logic - 1-2 days per week

Step 5: Write it Out!

Now, by this time, you have invested some significant thinking time. You want to get your ideas out on paper so that you can continue to use this information all year long. You don't want to have to go through this process again this year unless you change your program or curriculum at some point during the year.

On a piece of paper, draw out boxes for a typical school week. You may not want to schedule your subjects for specific times of the day but prefer to simply schedule the order of the subjects. Either way is fine. Personally, I choose a start time for school, but after that we just keep plugging along until all of the scheduled subjects are completed for the day. We take breaks when necessary!

You can keep this schedule solely for school subjects or you may want to include chores and other weekly events on your schedule as well. Rework the schedule until you are satisfied with it and then type it up on the computer. Post your schedule once completed in a prominent place and place one in each child's school notebooks as well. You can't follow a schedule that you don't see!

Here are some examples of schedules from previous years. I don't know if they will be helpful to you at all because we are all so different and operate within our families differently, but I wanted to post them in case you can glean anything of use from them.

General School Schedule - list of subjects and order to be tackled
Specific Time Schedule - initials represent different children
Specific Week Schedule - for one child only

On this last schedule, I set time aside every Sunday evening to look ahead through the books and determine exactly what each child would be doing during that particular week. I typed in page numbers and specific activities onto the individual schedules that I kept for my two school children that I had at that time. I now have four children in school along with a toddler and a baby on the way. I will not be making these specific schedules for the children every Sunday night this year, but I will be looking ahead each Sunday to see what we'll cover during the week ahead to determine if I need any supplies, library books, etc.

Well, I hope that I haven't overwhelmed you and that you can appreciate how scheduling your school year in advance will alleviate most of your worrying and wondering about whether you are covering all that you should be this year. But please remember that your schedule and your plan are only tools to help you. You are not a servant to them, they are servants for you. If it's not working, revise it or ditch it altogether and start over. You are the teacher. Modify your schedule or your books to make them work for you.

Have a great school year and enjoy the process,

Terri Johnson
Knowledge Quest, Inc.
www.KnowledgeQuestMaps.com
www.HomeschoolingABCs.com
Make this the best year ever!

Our three winners!

We held our drawing yesterday and these are the names that were drawn out of the "hat" (well, it was a bowl, but that doesn't quite sound right, does it?)

Devriesfam - Allie won the iPod Nano
Brittany (teacherbritt) - winner of $150 KQ gift certificate
Michelle Winter - winner of $150 KQ gift certificate

Congratulations ladies! Thank you so much for posting your reviews of our products at the Amazon and CBD websites. We are so grateful and hope that you enjoy your gifts. Thank you to the rest of you as well as you all posted approximately 80 reviews across those two websites covering over 10 of our books.

We'll do this again sometime as it was a whole lot of fun!

God bless,
Terri

5 Essential Ingredients to Homeschooling Success

We’ve all seen it… or, at least, heard about it… the homeschooled child who wins the geography bee, or the one who graduates at the age of 15, or the one who excels in musical accomplishments…

Now, obviously, a student does not have to be homeschooled in order to accomplish one of the feats above, nor does every homeschooled child excel in such notable ways. However, every homeschooling parent desires for success in teaching their children at home and launching them into the world to become all that God has intended for them to be.

The flipside to this statement is that no one wants to fail when it comes to teaching their children at home. So, what are the five necessary ingredients to homeschooling success?

The first one is the desire to foster a closer relationship with each of your children and your kids with one another. If you don’t want to spend more time together and deepen these relationships (or, at least, want to want to spend more time together), then homeschooling may not be the best choice for you. However, I am sure that you have heard it said before that at the end of the day, no one is going to say, “I wish that I had spent more time at work… or by myself… or with my canary…” No, the universal regret that aging and dying people declare is their sadness over not spending enough time with their loved ones. Teaching your children at home is an amazing opportunity to spend more time with your dearest loved ones and have no regrets.

The second ingredient to homeschooling success is a teachable spirit on the part of the parent. This is essential because, like it or not, you will learn so much more teaching your own children than you ever did in school the first time around. So, you might as well like to learn.

On that same note, the third essential ingredient to successful homeschooling is creating a home environment that is conducive to learning. This may show itself differently in each of our homes, but the result is the same – a place where kids can learn and enjoy it.

A home that is conducive to learning may have quiet and cozy reading nooks, bookshelves crammed with great books, a listening corner complete with headphones and a beanbag chair, uncluttered smooth surfaces for writing, stacks of coloring/activity books and colored pencils, a place to gather together and talk about the day’s events. You get the idea… Create centers in your home that make learning fun and accessible.

The fourth ingredient for a successful homeschool is 2 hours of your time to devote to your children’s studies. Truly, when the one-on-one teaching method is employed in your home, you do not need all day in order to get things done. In fact, a child in K-2 grades might be finished with her schoolwork in as few as 45 minutes (of course, that probably does not include the time that you spend reading together because who can get enough of that!).

At the other end of the spectrum, you might not need that much time with your middle schooler or high schooler either, because they become such independent learners by this age. The kids that will need the majority of that time that you have designated for school – those full 2 hours – would be your students in 3-6 grades as math and grammar assignments might get a little more involved.

The final ingredient for homeschooling success is a library card. That’s right! With access to a huge roomful of books, a world of learning opportunities is at your doorstep. Let’s say that your child is interested in insects or flowers, electricity or magnetism, transportation or inventions… check out as many books as he can devour on the subject and then some more. Watch your child light up with the delight of learning.

With these 5 essential ingredients incorporated into your homeschool, you will experience successful learning in the lives of your children, because this is the measure of success – children that love to learn!

Enjoy those learning moments…

Terri Johnson

Co-author of Homeschooling ABCs – an online class starting this month for brand new homeschoolers. Don't let self-doubt, or lack of experience, rob you of the best first year possible! Sign up for class at http://www.HomeschoolingABCs.com

Are you brand new to homeschooling?

Don't let self-doubt, or lack of experience, rob you of the best first year possible!

www.HomeschoolingABCs.com

All you need are a few basic "how-to's" and your homeschool can be up and running in 48 hours or less. Would you be interested in a class that will show you, step-by-step, how to turn this first year of homeschooling into the best year ever? And receive over $200 worth of curricula from our partnering companies to boot?

Here's what is included with your class materials:

Free Bonus Gift #1 ($12.00 Value) Teaching Less While Your Child Learns More from Living Books Curriculum. This step-by-step book will show you how you can use living books to provide a quality education at an affordable price. The book includes such things as an explanation of the Seven Keys(TM) and Six Tools(TM) of a Living Books education, an overview of each subject , articles on narration, living books and planning a Charlotte-Mason style education.

Free Bonus Gift #2 ($29.00 Value) Dive into the ocean with Ocean Habitats (grades 3-6) and Under the Sea (preK-2) Project Packs from In the Hands of a Child. Each pack includes a Research Guide about the oceans of the world along with hands-on activities to complete a lapbook about oceans!

Free Bonus Gift #3 ($10.00 Value) Get started in writing with a gift from WriteShop. Included in this starter package is a 30-page lesson sample from WriteShop I (grades 6-10), an 8-day lesson from our brand-new early elementary WriteShop Primary, Book A (grades K-2) and StoryBuilders Sampler containing creative writing prompts for all ages!

Free Bonus Gift #4 ($7.95 Value)Foundations 1 Bible curriculum (Extra Big Sample). We believe that God's Word is essential for our children. Real homeschooling families want to read, study, memorize and apply the Scriptures together. We'll help you lay a firm spiritual foundation for your children.

Free Bonus Gift #5 ($36.00 Value) TEACH magazine is giving away the Mother Enrichment Package to our class members, which includes two digital issues of the magazine, an ebook entitled Organizing Happiness, and the "Queen of Her Castle" MP3 audio for your listening pleasure.

Free Bonus Gift #6 ($15.00 value) Teaching Science and Having Fun by Felice Gerwitz - a how-to-teach science in the home ebook that makes science fun and doable!

Free Bonus Gift #7 ($12.00 value)The Internet Scavenger Hunt - Introduce your kids age 12 and up to the Internet using MotherboardBooks.com's Internet Scavenger Hunt. Kids gather fun and weird facts about animals and geography as they crisscross the Internet using Google, after setting it to SafeSearch to screen out the bad stuff.

Free Bonus Gift #8 ($5.95 value) Get Organized! Easy Ideas to Make This School Year Great by Cindy Rushton

Free Bonus Gift #9 ($10.00 value) Big sample from The Schoolhouse Planner from The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. 31 pages of helpful planning forms, lists, etc.

Free Bonus Gift #10 ($10.00 value) History Not Backwards! from TruthQuest History. Kids are right! To memorize the deeds and dates of dead people is the backwards, human-oriented history we learned. God is Creator: Past, Present and Future. So, history should show Him and His truths in convincing action!

Free Bonus Gift #11 ($5.00 value) Fifty Famous Stories Retold from Yesterday's Classics. A collection of many famous tales of ancient and modern times; some historical, some legendary, that have delighted children for generations. Included are such well-known favorites as King Alfred and the Cakes and Bruce and the Spider. The stories are admirably suited to inspire the young mind with lofty ideals and to give a taste for the best reading.

Free Bonus Gift #12 ($7.95 value) Values-Driven Discipleship: Biblical Instruction and Character Training Manual from Values Driven Family. As parents, we tend to react to our children's misbehaviors and fail to address the underlying heart issues. Values-Driven Discipleship offers sound teaching and Bible verses that help you to focus on what really matters: getting God's Word from the mind to the heart, so that behaviors are changed from the inside out!

Free Bonus Gift #13 ($10.00 value) Units from Far Above Rubies and Blessed is the Man by Lynda Coats. The Far Above Rubies unit study is designed to train girls of high school age to become the godly women our Lord wants them to be. It is based on Proverbs 31:10-31, and is designed to cover all subjects for a complete high school education, including many suggestions for expanding into specialized areas of interest. Blessed is the Man is a unit study based on Psalm 1. It is designed to train young men to fulfill their roles as future leaders in the Christian community and to be protectors, providers and priests for their future families.

Free Bonus Gift #14 ($37.00 value) LightHome Sampler of Manuscript Penmanship and LightHome Sampler of Cursive Penmanship. These e-books from LightHome Publications includes sample pages from each of their manuscript and cursive penmanship books on many different topics. It also includes some pages with complete alphabets, some coloring pages, word search puzzles, crossword puzzles, Bible verse posters, and articles with ideas for P.E., geography and more.

Free Bonus Gift #15 (over $50.00 value) Selected resources from Knowledge Quest - to be revealed!

If you can believe it, there may be even more, as our partnering companies WANT to get their curriculum into your hands as you begin this homeschooling journey.

Find out more here - www.HomeschoolingABCs.com.

Are you a veteran, but have friends just starting out? Just pass along this web address to them.

In our next newsletter, we'll talk about Scheduling the Easy Way - A 5 Step Plan. If you still have some scheduling and organizing to do before school starts, you will want to read our next newsletter. Sign-up for our newsletter by sending an email to knowledge-quest@aweber.com.

Until next time...

Warmly,
Terri Johnson

Drawing will take place next Friday instead

Hey, sorry about that, but I had to scoot out of town rather suddenly this past week and I did not have access to my computer or blog while I was away. And that means that I was unable to conduct the drawing because I just arrived home today (Saturday).

In an effort to make sure that everyone gets a chance to view the list before the drawing actually takes place, I will just push it out to next Friday. The reason is that I need to make a mention of it in the KQ newsletter first, so that reviewers get a chance to make sure their names are on the list. I wouldn't want to leave anyone out.

Soooo... check back here next Friday, August 15th. And the winners will be announced at that time (Lord willing, of course!).

Here are the names for our drawing

Yay, we are getting closer. We will be having our drawing for the iPod Nano and 2 $150 gift certificates this Friday, August 8th. Big day! We are so excited!

I have compiled the names that have been entered into our drawing and am listing them here below. I am not including email addresses for your privacy and security. I have many of your email addresses at my fingertips because you sent them to me or included them in your blog comment. I also have links to many of your blogs. So I am not really too concerned that I won't be able to get in touch with you if your name is drawn. However, probably your best bet will be to check back here on Friday to see if you have won 1 of the 3 prizes, if you have not heard from me yet to notify you.

Here are the names that are going into the hat:

Kathleen Tice
MeritK - 3 entries
Nancy (nmelk3)
Kathy Aprile
Kathryn (adventuresoflearning)
Bradley A. Foster
Judy Finkell
abernath
c hill - 3 entries
shannon (alto woman)
Brittany (teacherbritt)
Karla (fosterheartsathome)
ignite youth
Suehaven (Susie) Neubaur
coastkids - 3 entries
CC (C in me) - 2 entries
Suzanne in LA
Susan (gentle & quiet)
Michelle Winter - 3 entries
R Somerville
Jennifer
Pam
Kari P - 2 entries
Danielle Hull - 3 entries
kathie - 2 entries
Missy M.
Jodi
jane bullivant
materursa (amanda)
nikowa - 2 entries
sarah
lisa (crazyforjesus)
susan - 2 entries
cyndi kane
Kelly Frohnauer
Tamie
Heather Brianna - 4 entries
Donna Cameli
Brenda Howard - 4 entries
Carolyn Hinton - 2 entries
Rebecca Ponce - 4 entries
Carolyn Yohe
Dawn Brown
Dot Dittman
Dacia Foote
Sharon Horton
Kathy M
Sandy - 2 entries
Devriesfam - 4 entries
Lynne Botha
Tanya (the mom)
Karen
Mebegley
D. Sacco - 2 entries
Debbie Phillips
Tammy C

If you have left more than one review and I don't have that listed, or I have left out your name altogether, just leave me a comment here and I will get that fixed. And don't forget to check back on Friday to see if you are one of the winners!

God bless,
Terri

Getting Ready for your 1st Year of Homeschooling?

Maybe you have been planning to homeschool for some time or perhaps you have just decided this past week that you are determined to give it a try. In either scenario, you want this to be the best year ever, right? And you are ready to get off to a great start! That's wonderful.

Would you like a few tips on how to get a great start in homeschooling? I have 10 steps that will give you a quick start in homeschooling - in fact, you'll be ready to begin in 48 hours.

1. Since it is summer, you do not need to notify your child's teacher that he won't be coming back to school tomorrow or the day after, BUT you still do need to notify the school district administration in writing that you will be homeschooling your child. At least this is the case in most states. To find out what your state's requirements are, visit the HSLDA website (Home School Legal Defense Association) and click on your state to read up on its laws concerning homechooling - http://www.hslda.org/laws/default.asp. Since homeschooling is legal in all 50 states, it only makes sense to comply with your state's regulations.

2. Choose a subject of special interest for your child. This could be just about anything, but here are a few suggestions... horses, transportation, navigation, energy, magnetism, inventions, architecture, weaponry, colonial living, pioneer days, insects, flowers, watercolor painting, etc. Once you have chosen a subject of interest, head for your local library and check out books on this topic. You may even find some on your own bookshelves. Try to find books that are both fiction and nonfiction. These books are going to form the core of your delight directed study. A delight directed study means that you will center all or most of your studies around this main topic. For example, if the subject is flowers, flower petals can be counted, sorted and multiplied during math time; the anatomy of a flower can be studied (and dissected) for science; a poem about flowers can be copied for handwriting; types of flowers can be the spelling words; and a particularly beautiful flower can be drawn and painted during art time. And, of course, those books will be read and devoured all through the day and even as bedtime books before lights out.

3. You do not need a handwriting/writing curriculum in order to get started with school. At least, not right away. Use a sentence from one of the books that you are reading (from point #2 above) and write it down in your neatest handwriting at the top of a piece of lined paper. Have your young child copy it from your writing. If your child is very young (say kindergarten), you will want to start with just letters, not full words or sentences yet. If your child is older (say 4th grade and up), you may want to skip right past the copywork stage described above and use dictation instead. In place of writing the sentence at the top of the page, instead dictate the sentence slowly and clearly to your child for her to write down from your reading of it. The older the child, the more lengthy the dictation can be (not more than a paragraph though).

Would you like to know the remaining 7 steps to a quick and great start in homeschooling? You will have to visit our new website - www.HomeschoolingABCs.com - to get the rest. It will be live on August 5th. Stay tuned!

Terri

Prayer answered in the time it took to write last post!

Wow, God is amazingly good and compassionate! In the time it took to write the last post (which was written from the laptop), the other computer unfroze and I was able to save the class materials that I have been working on so diligently. Thank you, Lord! He does care about the little things - the things that can turn our day upside down.

All glory to God,
Terri

Remember to back-up your computer regularly

I have been so busy working on the class materials for our beginning homeschoolers' class that I have failed to back-up our main computer these last 2-3 weeks. That's not good because this morning this particular computer that I work on has completely frozen up. That means that all those classes that I have written and prepared for could be gone. Yikes!

Basically, I am on my knees praying today that we haven't lost all of our work from the last few weeks. That is a devastating thought. But God is good and He has a plan. I just need to make myself available to His plan, rather than my own.

On a positive note, I am compiling names for our drawing (see post from July 14th). If your name is drawn, I will notify you on August 8th. Several people have their names entered multiple times. That's exciting! If you would like to enter our drawing for an iPod Nano or one of two $150 Knowledge Quest gift certificates, see details in the post on July 14th. You could be a winner of 1 of 3 great prizes.

Have a great day! My computer guy is on the way, so hopefully my day will improve soon.

God bless,
Terri

Class for Beginning Homeschool Parents

Are you new to homeschooling? Do you have friends that are just starting out? We are excited to be offering a "class" on the how-to's of homeschooling. This is really going to be helpful step-by-step information for the beginning homeschool family.

And to top it off, we have some top-notch companies that are working with us that want to give portions of their curriculum to our class attendees. We are receiving hundreds of dollars in curriculum to give away to each and every class participant. Yay!

This is really going to be a wonderful opportunity for those just starting out in this homeschooling adventure or perhaps have a year or less under their belt. Pass the word around to your friends and neighbors. This is a class that any new homeschool parent will not want to miss. Class starts around August 1st!

Stay posted right here as details are to follow!

Terri

Oh my, I'm so excited!

You all are amazing! And so fast too! Now, let me just clarify that I did not tell any of you WHAT to write in your reviews, but I am tickled pink by what you DID write! I am steadily adding names to my hat and cannot wait for the drawing on August 8th. I appreciate each one of you so much that I am already thinking about what else I can give that will bless all of you, above and beyond the 3 big winners. I'll be chewing on that for a little bit...

IF you are wondering what I am talking about, just scroll down to the previous post. We are holding a drawing for an iPod Nano and 2 $150 gift certificates. Find out how your name can be added to our virtual hat!

By the way, it appears that CBD reviews are not posted immediately, so keep that in mind. Your name is entered into the drawing whenever you let me know that your review has been written. And I am entering your name whether you comment here on the blog or send me an email. Either way of communication is fine with me. And several of you are getting your names entered multiple times. Fantastic!

God bless you all,
Terri

You can be the winner of an iPod Nano - Find out how!

We are holding a drawing for an iPod Nano and 2 Knowledge Quest gift certificates valued at $150 and you could be one of the winners. Let me tell you how you can have your name entered into our drawing.

Many people who purchase Knowledge Quest products let their friends know about them and often even post a review about them on their blogs. There are many of these reviews all over the internet. However, the pages for our books that are listed on Amazon.com and CBD.com are sadly lacking reviews. There are a small handful of reviews posted there and I am thankful to those readers who have taken the time to post their review, BUT it would be really great if there were more.

This is what I am proposing to do. I would love to give away an iPod Nano and 2 Knowledge Quest gift certificates for $150 to 3 individuals whose names are going to be drawn "out of a hat" so to speak. And to get your name in the hat, all you have to do is post a review of one or more of our books that you have previously purchased and then comment here with a link to your review. That's it. I can't tell you what to write in your review, but I do ask that it be honest and that it be for a book that you have taken the time to read or look through carefully. Please do not post a review about a book that you haven't read or have only glanced at on a book store shelf.

That's it. Post those reviews and then leave your comments here. Don't forget to include the link to your review. And you can review more than one book if you wish. Your name will be entered for EACH review that you post.

Post your reviews by July 31st and we'll hold the drawing on Friday, August 8th. Here are the links to our books on Amazon and CBD:

Amazon.com

A Child's Geography: Explore His Earth –
http://www.amazon.com/Childs-Geography-Explore-His-Earth/dp/1932786325/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1216074990&sr=8-1

A Child's Geography: Explore the Holy Land –
http://www.amazon.com/Childs-Geography-Explore-Holy-Land/dp/1932786333/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1216074990&sr=8-2

Star-Spangled State Book –
http://www.amazon.com/Star-Spangled-State-Book-Joel-King/dp/1932786260/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1216075449&sr=1-1

Star-Spangled Workbook –
http://www.amazon.com/Star-Spangled-Workbook-Joel-F-King/dp/1932786279/ref=pd_sim_b_4

Blackline Maps of World History (hardcover book) –
http://www.amazon.com/Blackline-World-History-Terri-Johnson/dp/1932786252/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1216075590&sr=1-1

Wonders of Old Timeline Book –
http://www.amazon.com/Wonders-Old-Blank-Timeline-History/dp/1932786104/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1216075759&sr=1-1

What Really Happened in Ancient Times –
http://www.amazon.com/What-Really-Happened-Ancient-Times/dp/193278621X/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_b

What Really Happened During the Middle Ages –
http://www.amazon.com/Really-Happened-During-Middle-Happened/dp/1932786228/ref=pd_bbs_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1216075832&sr=1-2

What Really Happened in Colonial Times –
http://www.amazon.com/What-Really-Happened-Colonial-Times/dp/1932786236/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1216076085&sr=1-1


Christian Book Distributors

A Child's Geography: Explore His Earth - http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?item_no=786323&netp_id=524019&event=ESRCN&item_code=WW&view=details

A Child's Geography: Explore the Holy Land –
http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?item_no=86337&netp_id=524026&event=ESRCN&item_code=WW&view=details

Star-Spangled State Book –
http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?item_no=786260&netp_id=478884&event=ESRCN&item_code=WW&view=details

Star-Spangled Workbook –
http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?item_no=786279&netp_id=478885&event=ESRCN&item_code=WW&view=details

Blackline Maps of World History (hardcover book) –
http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?item_no=786163&event=CF

Blackline Maps of World History CD-ROM –
http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?item_no=786074&netp_id=376826&event=ESRCN&item_code=WW&view=details

The Shaping of a Nation (Blackline Maps of American History) softcover book –
http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?item_no=786082&netp_id=376827&event=ESRCN&item_code=WW&view=details

The Shaping of a Nation (Blackline Maps of American History) CD-ROM –
http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?item_no=786090&netp_id=376828&event=ESRCN&item_code=WW&view=details

Wonders of Old Timeline Book –
http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?item_no=786104&event=CF

Wonders of Old CD-ROM –
http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?item_no=786155&event=CF

What Really Happened During the Middle Ages –
http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?item_no=786111&netp_id=421912&event=ESRCN&item_code=WW&view=details

What Really Happened in Colonial Times –
http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?item_no=786231&netp_id=514903&event=ESRCN&item_code=WW&view=details

A unit study about Canada

This was a fun one to put together - a unit study about our dear neighbor Canada. I hope that you enjoy it. It is amazing how little we Americans know about Canada. It really is rather shameful. But now you do not have to be ashamed any longer! Read the article in The Old Schoolhouse magazine and then have fun with the unit study.

Here's the link:

www.knowledgequestmaps.com/canadaunit.htm

God bless,
Terri

My new school planner is amazing!

I received my new school planner this week from The Old Schoolhouse. It is called the The Schoolhouse Planner (not too surprising!) and it is loaded with helpful planning information. It is digital and interactive. I can type in my own personal information and then print it myself. Great idea, isn't it? Here is some of what is included in the planner and why I am so excited about it:

Calendars in various forms yearly, monthly, weekly, and daily
Lists of holidays and places to record special days in your family
Planners for your homeschool in various styles to meet your individual needs
Pages for both long-term and short-term homeschooling goals
Curriculum planning forms
Evaluation forms and test score recording sheets
A through-the-Bible in a (school) year schedule
Forms for recording Bible memory and other memory work
Logs for recording books read, movies and documentaries viewed, etc.
A field trip planning form and recording log
A sample science lab sheet and nature study sheets
A place to record extracurricular activities
Outside classes, co-op, and support group information and recording sheets
Household planning forms
Daily, weekly, and monthly household schedule charts
Grocery, menu-planning, and food logs
Various budget and financial planning forms
Garden planning sheets
An appliance and electronics inventory sheet
Vacation planning ideas
Address and telephone records

There are also...
12 homeschool must-know items, one for each month of the year
12 essays from curriculum authors in the homeschool community
24 easy main-dish recipes from some top homeschoolers around the nation
2-page monthly calendar with BIG blocks with lots of room for writing in details each day

I feel fortunate enough to be one of the 12 authors that contributed to this planner, but that is certainly not why I like it. It is because it is so very usable! I will print extra pages of the ones that I will use the most and not print the pages that I won't use at all (not too many of those!).

You can check it out here. I think that you will like it as much as I do.

Terri

Third time is a charm, right?

Well, I am setting up my third blog in hopes that I might actually keep it going this time. I would like to communicate timely Knowledge Quest news and share a little bit about the personalities and goings-on behind the scenes. We would like for you to know us a little more than a website can convey and a newsletter has room to share.

Please use this forum to communicate with us and share your great ideas.

God bless,
Terri Johnson